


Cavete Ursus

by orphan_account



Series: Vices FAHC Verse [3]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Grand Theft Auto Setting, Assassination Attempt(s), Bickering, Explosions, FAHC, Fake AH Crew, Found Family, Gen, Hostage Situations, Injury, Kidnapping, Many Iffy Decisions Are Made, Origin Story, Sorta. We're getting there, Trust Issues, car bomb, there's gonna be sooo much bickering
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-28
Updated: 2020-02-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:06:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22445314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Beware Of The BearWith a lack of trust developing and two members always at each other's throats, Geoff and his new crew are facing a lot of problems without many solutions, and things only go from bad to worse when someone begins to target them.
Relationships: Gavin Free & Jack Pattillo & Geoff Ramsey, Gavin Free & Ryan Haywood, Jack Pattillo & Geoff Ramsey, Lindsay Tuggey Jones/Michael Jones, Team Gents
Series: Vices FAHC Verse [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1612174
Comments: 7
Kudos: 33





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyo! this takes place a few days after the end of Foster, and I bet you can't guess who we're recruiting this time (/joke)!
> 
> anywho, let me know if y'all think i should tag anything.

The conference room was a good size, big enough to hold a table with  _ eleven _ chairs, as if they’d need that many, but it was also small enough to not feel empty. It even had a map of Los Santos and a whiteboard, and nice, beige walls that made them seem almost like a group of respectable businesspeople and not a bunch of criminals. Really, the only downsides they found were that it was  _ not _ soundproof, and that just because it  _ looked _ professional did not mean that disputes would not occur.

“Even  _ with _ this guy’s help, we’re still understaffed, Geoff,” Jack said, crossing her arms, “I don’t know much about The Vagabond, but I’m fairly sure he’s no demo expert, and if my memory serves, he’s not really good with anything stealthy.”

“Look, I  _ know _ , Jack,” Geoff said, making a motion that was meant to placate her, but really only made her more frustrated, “ _ But _ , he’s willing to work with us, and right now we need  _ all _ the help we can get.”

“He helped The Agency kidnap me!” Gavin argued, “And he beat the shit outta you!”

“ _ And _ he then blew up part of The Agency after confessing to not wanting to actually kill us,” Geoff retorted, earning a huff and arm cross from Gavin as well, “ _ Look _ , we can’t really afford to be picky right now, as much as I wish we could be. We’re just gonna have to swallow our pride and deal with it, okay?”

“He’s right, you know,” A deep voice came from the doorway to the boardroom, and the masked form of The Vagabond suddenly had three different guns being pointed in his direction, though he made not move to surrender to them, “Sorry, didn’t mean to spook ya.”

“Oh, yes you  _ did _ , you  _ ass _ ,” Gavin snarled, “It’s part of your damn gimmick.”

“Maybe. But I didn’t mean to _this_ _time_.”

“Whatever you say,  _ James _ .”

“It’s  _ Ryan _ ,” The Vagabond, Ryan, growled, “You oughta remember that,  _ Golden Boy _ .”

“Hey,” Jack cut in, noticing the way that Gavin seemed to somehow be both terrified and ready to fight at the same time, “Knock it off, both of you. As much as I hate to admit it… Geoff  _ is _ right, no matter how much I wish he wasn’t. This isn’t ideal, but we need to work with it, alright?”

Neither Gavin nor Ryan answered, drawing a sigh out from both the actual adults in the room. 

“Alright,” Geoff proclaimed, shoving himself from his seat at the head of the table, startling Jack, who had been standing just behind him, “I’m sorry to do this to you Jack, but I got some things I need to take care of.”

“What ‘things’?” Jack asked, eyebrow raised, “What’s so important that you leave me to babysit these two and try to keep them from killing each other?”

“Hopefully, nothing,” Geoff said as he made his way to the door, his tone troubled and distant, “Never hurts to check, though. I’ll give you guys a call if anything happens.”

Jack didn’t like it, not one bit. She didn’t like it for  _ several _ reasons, the top ones being that she was being left alone with two fully-grown  _ children _ who seemed to both fear and hate each other and that Geoff was being  _ vague _ . Geoff was only ever vague if he was hiding something that he was worried would upset or concern Jack, which was chivalrous and caring and all, but also  _ really fucking frustrating _ , considering she was basically the second-in-command, and that she should  _ probably _ know what was going on, but as he left, she didn’t argue.

“Good job, Ryan,” Gavin said sourly as he stood, “You drove our boss away.

“ _ Me _ ?” Ryan looked about ready to kill Gavin right then and there, “ _ You’re _ the one who started the argument!”

She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. There was going to be enough arguing going on, she could deal with Geoff and his poor decision-making later.

\---

Geoff was conflicted. On the one hand, he hadn’t wanted to leave Jack alone with Gavin and Ryan’s bickering, in fact, he had  _ wanted  _ her to come with him to investigate the tip he had gotten, but on the other hand, he knew that without Jack, those two would either tear each other apart or ruin their perfectly nice,  _ brand new _ penthouse, and neither of those options sounded great.

Should he have told her? Probably. Omitting details and lying were bad habits he had gotten into a long time ago, ones he couldn’t quite shake, even when part of The Roosters. They had been a survival tactic originally, but now all he could do was hope they didn’t come back to bite him in the ass  _ too _ hard, especially when building the kind of crew he wanted depended a  _ lot _ on them trusting each-other. If Geoff kept omitting details, kept  _ lying _ , it would be hard to trust him, and not being able to trust your boss is a really  _ shitty _ thing for a new crew.

Geoff was pulled from his thoughts by some  _ asshole _ deciding to shoulder-check him in the parking garage.

“Hey!” Geoff exclaimed, checking the pockets of his casual outfit-- jeans, t-shirt, the works-- to ensure he hadn’t just been pickpocketed, “Watch where you’re goin’, asshole!”

“Right back at ya,  _ dickweed _ .” The young man turned around to flip Geoff the middle finger, giving the crew boss a good look at his short, curly hair, brown eyes, and light smattering of freckles. As he turned back around, headed for the exit of the garage, Geoff got a  _ real _ good look at the back of the kid’s leather jacket, which proudly displayed a bear logo with the phrase “Victory” in the ribbon beneath it. It was probably one of the most defining features on him, and Geoff made sure to keep it in mind in case he needed to hunt the fucker down for stealing his shit.

Whatever. Geoff had a blown-up warehouse in the middle of nowhere to go check out.

\---

If it hadn’t been for the fact that Geoff was out and may end up needing her, Jack would’ve started drinking a  _ while _ ago. Instead, she had to tiredly keep two grown men from arguing like  _ actual _ children. 

Ryan and Gavin, in her observations, had a healthy dose of fear for each other, maybe Gavin more so than Ryan, but it was certainly present in both of their arguments. From that fear stemmed an unfounded hatred, which brought about a rivalry that, really, was there for  _ no _ reason. Jack had to keep stepping in, causing the two of them to eventually just walk off to their own rooms to sulk. She was fairly sure that she was the only reason neither of them had begun to act on their threats of violence and blackmail.

Jack sighed. She shouldn’t have needed to be a fucking negotiator just to get them to work together. Then again, she  _ also _ shouldn’t have needed to be a mind reader just to figure out what was going on in her own damn crew. But there she was, sitting at the kitchen bar, her phone on the tabletop, waiting for any word from her partner. Part of the reason she had agreed to be part of The Roosters was so that she wouldn’t have to keep putting up with bullshit secrecy, or just bullshit in general, and when Geoff, the man she oftentimes considered to be her best friend, had promised her the chance to  _ build  _ a place like that to their own liking, she had all but jumped at the chance. 

And then, there she was, sitting at the kitchen bar, dealing with so much bullshit it was downright  _ annoying.  _

Whatever. She could handle it before, she could handle it now, even if it was frustrating. She hadn’t imagined building a crew from almost-scratch would be  _ easy _ , after all, but still… There was a lot that left her wondering how different it would’ve been if she had just gone with The Roosters to Austin. 

‘ _ No use dwelling on the past, Jack, _ ’ A small voice in the back of her mind chided, ‘ _ We’re leaving that behind, remember? _ ’

Of course she did, how could she forget?

Before she could go any deeper down that old rabbithole, Jack’s phone rang, the boss theme from Gems of War attracting not only her attention, but the attention of Ryan and Gavin, who had apparently been about to enter the main living area once more. Instantly, Jack answered.

“Geoff?”

“Jack, thank  _ fuck _ ,” Geoff’s voice was panicked over the bad connection, and it instantly set Jack on edge as she began to stand, “I’ve got a situation.”

“Where? What do you need?”

“Pickup, probably some medical, too.”

“ _ Shit _ ,” Jack hissed. They were  _ severely _ unequipped for medical treatment. “I’ll be there soon, still need a location though.”

“Gonna text the address to you. I--” Geoff paused for a moment, then, uncertainly, “We’ll talk more later, okay? Be careful, and make sure you check your car before you drive it.”

“What? Check it for  _ what _ ?”

“Trust me, if you find it, you’ll know.” And with that, Geoff hung up, once more leaving Jack with more questions than answers. Alright. Whatever. Bigger fish to fry.

“C’mon boys,” Jack said, grabbing her phone and keys as Ryan and Gavin trailed behind her, “Grab a medkit and a gun. We’re going on a road trip.”

\---

As far as getting injured went, Geoff had to admit, being blown up  _ sucked _ . Maybe not as much as some other injuries, but second-degree burns were a  _ bitch _ to deal with, and shrapnel could go  _ fuck _ itself.  _ Especially _ metal shrapnel.

“Go check out the warehouse, I said,” Geoff grumbled to himself as he propped himself up against a rather large rock, “It’ll be  _ fine _ , I said, then my car fuckin’ explodes--”

He let out a soft grunt of pain. He had been lucky to notice the trap before he exited the car, the strange wiring catching his eye and setting off the alarm bells in his head. He had been even luckier to make it out of the car before the explosive went off, though he hadn’t  _ quite _ made it out of the blast radius. Oh well, at least he hadn’t worn his suit.

He had been forcing himself to stay conscious, a hard thing to do, given that he was injured, probably losing  _ a lot _ of blood, and stuck just on the edge of Grand Senora. His only saving grace was that he knew Jack and the others were coming, or at the very least, Jack and Gavin. He had no idea if Ryan would even agree to coming along, even if they shared a kinship over a previous employer, and given The Vagabond’s track record… It was a wonder at all why Ryan had actively thrown away what he had just to help start up their new crew. It was funny how slowly dying made you think of the little things. 

It was also funny how dizzy Geoff felt, and how thinking got a bit slower. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he knew it was shock, and that he was dying, but the rest of Geoff couldn’t help but let out a weak laugh. After all he’d been through, the thing that finally brought him down happened before his crew even had a  _ name _ .

Geoff had been so absorbed in the melodrama of death and blood loss that he hadn’t noticed the other car pull up, nor the concerned trio headed by a redhead in a hawaiian shirt quickly making their way towards him. He was only  _ just _ able to make out what they were saying.

“ _ Shit _ ,” Jack muttered quietly, kneeling in front of Geoff, “What the fuck happened?”

“A bit obvious, innit?” Gavin said quietly, his gaze cast off in the direction where Geoff’s car used to exist, “Someone bombed our boss.”

“How do you people  _ already _ have enemies? First The Agency, now this?” Ryan asked, and Geoff couldn’t tell if it was a question asked out of genuine curiosity or smart-assery, but Gavin apparently took it to be the latter.

“Oh, I’m sorry  _ Ryan _ ! Not all of us are able to shed our past and hop between jobs as  _ easy _ as you do.”

“We are  _ not _ starting this right now,” Jack snapped, her voice a low growl, “You two start looking at the old warehouse and car, see if you can figure out what happened.”

“But--”

“That’s not--”

“Just  _ do it _ . I have to take Geoff to the hospital and pretend to be a frazzled wife whose  _ idiot _ husband was doing stupid shit out in the desert.”

“Anybody’d be lucky to have you, Jack,” Geoff said, though he was fairly sure it came out slurred and near-indecipherable, “You’re  _ amaaazing _ .”

“And you’re an idiot, but we can talk about that later. Just  _ stay awake _ .”

“But ‘m tired…” Geoff whined, his blinks becoming longer and longer. Then, Jack slapped him. Hard. “Ow! Wha--”

“ _ Stay. Awake. _ ” Jack growled, hefting Geoff to his feet, carrying nearly all his weight on her shoulder, “If you die, I’m going to fucking  _ kill _ you, Geoff.”

Gavin and Ryan must’ve stopped or been staring or  _ something _ , because Jack all but snapped her head towards them, shouting at them to keep moving. Even without seeing her face all that well, he knew the effects of the “Jack Glare” better than most.

And really, that’s all Geoff remembered before getting shoved into the passenger seat of Jack’s car. 

\---

“Damn…” The man with curly hair muttered under his breath, leaning back behind the hiding spot he and his wife were camped in, watching the scene unfold.

“Well, that doesn’t sound good,” The woman with blue hair said, not even bothering to look up from her phone, “Told you we should’ve shot him once he called the others.”

“You know damn well why we couldn’t, babe! Contract was  _ really _ specific. It’s why we hit this second warehouse in the first damn place!”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, dear. Let me know when something  _ exciting _ happens.” She waved him off, bringing an eyeroll out of the man as he continued to watch the two left behind at the scene. 

Like when they had first arrived, the two had already begun to argue, and this time, without anyone to stop them, it got to the point where the one in the skull mask,  _ The Fucking Vagabond _ , actually pushed the other one over. The blonde offered little to no resistance, instead squawking loudly and swearing at the other after his ass hit the ground. The whole display, while hilarious enough to watch, gave the man an idea.

“C’mon babe,” He said, packing up his recon equipment, “We’ve got some plans to make.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh boy, this is certainly a bit more of an exciting start than Foster, huh?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> look. its 3 am. im tired. you're tired. im almost done with this so hopefully i'll have a proper chapter count before the next one goes up. hope you enjoy this though

After several tense days and a convoluted series of old favors being called in and old blackmail being brought back up, Jack was finally able to get Geoff settled into his own private,  _ safe _ bed in the penthouse, the soft sound of breathing only one in the room as Geoff slept. Jack, realistically, knew she probably didn’t have to stand watch, and that she probably should’ve been out there keeping Ryan and Gavin apart, but there was something keeping her glued to her shitty little seat.

She wasn’t sure if it was guilt, fear, or maybe a bit of anger, but she knew that Geoff would likely do the same for her. Although, he probably wouldn’t have had to, considering she would’ve told him about where she was going and doing, just in case something happened. Hell, he probably wouldn’t have had to even rush to her rescue, she would’ve just brought him along!

“I trust you, Geoff…” Jack muttered to the sleeping form, “So why aren’t you willing to trust  _ me _ ?” 

A soft knock at the door made Jack jump, though she still managed to sneak one last glance at Geoff’s bandaged and healing form before quietly exiting the room, nearly bumping into Ryan in the process.

“Gavin told me to get you,” Ryan explained, “Said he found something.”

“Well then,” Jack said, her voice cracking a bit as she spoke before she cleared her throat, “Let’s see what he’s got.”

\---

It was almost impossible to make anything out from the fuzzy CCTV footage Gavin had managed to pull from the parking garage, but there was enough to tell Jack that they had found their guy.

“Most of the other footage was either deleted or utter garbage,” Gavin explained as he finished up his typing, clicking the image to get a better view of the person they were looking at, “So this was the best I could get.”

It was pretty damn good, in Jack’s opinion. She could make out the man’s face and hair, though not perfectly. There was another shot that got him from the back, displaying a  _ very _ easily identifiable logo on his jacket, as well as yet another shot of his face as he turned around to watch Geoff’s car leave. In the third photo of him, he was  _ very _ clearly tampering with Geoff’s car, and Jack was mildly surprised none of the building’s guards hadn’t done anything.

“Who is he?” Jack asked, squinting her eyes in an effort to get a better view of the guy’s face to no avail. She should’ve worn her glasses.

“I dunno,” Gavin said, typing and clicking away once more, pulling up several clearer photos, one of which being a mugshot, as well as the mugshot of a woman with red hair, “He’s not a major player, far as I can tell, but I did manage to pull a few things. From what I can see, the guy goes by the name ‘Mogar’. He, as well as his wife, who goes by ‘Wildcard’, have been arrested a few times, and are wanted for more stuff than really ought to be possible. Some of the main ones I see are assault, arson, robbery, murder, resisting arrest, evading the police, and-- Oh  _ wow _ …”

“What? What is it?”

“Apparently this guy is on the F.I.B.’s wanted list. I can’t get much from there, but it looks like our man is quite the explosives fiend.”

“Oh, that’s  _ great _ ,” Jack muttered, “It’s like a fuckin’ monkey paw! I ask for a demolition expert, and he’s trying to kill us.”

“Do we have any idea  _ why _ ?” Ryan asked, and Gavin sighed, shaking his head and turning to face the two older men.

“That’s the thing! I looked for this guy  _ everywhere _ in my old files, tryin’ to figure out if The Roosters had done him dirty or something, but I can’t find anythin’! Most I got was a file about him being a potential recruit, but it never panned out.”

“Why didn’t it work?”

“They were probably gonna give him a job offer, but with the collapse and everything…”

“It never happened,” Jack finished quietly, her voice going slightly soft as she saw the young man deflate in his chair slightly, “Maybe he found out? Wants to wipe out what’s left of them so he doesn’t have to think of what could’ve been?”

“If that were the case, he would’ve killed Geoff in a much more effective way,” Ryan muttered, staring at the two mugshots on the screen, “Car bombs are flashy and can be good, depending on how they’re wired, but if someone manages to notice it, like Geoff did, all that hard work is for nothing.”

“So what do you think, Professor Haywood?” Gavin sneered, earning a glare from the man in face-paint. 

“I  _ think _ this isn’t nearly as personal as you two want it to be. He’s probably some upstart kid trying to wipe out what’s left of the former top dogs to get his name out there. I wouldn’t be surprised if he and his wife had no idea The Roosters even knew who they were.”

“Oh, there wasn’t a recruitment file for Wildcard. Well, there  _ was _ , but she went by Tugg back then--”

“Oh, I remember her!” Jack exclaimed, “We had our eye on her for a little while, but she’s a bit of a, well, a wildcard. We could never figure her out, so we figured it wasn’t worth it. At least, that’s what the others thought.”

“The others?” Ryan inquired, cocking his eyebrow up.

“Matt, Burnie, Gus, and Joel. Geoff and I actually thought she would make a good addition, but she was turned down.”

“How do you remember  _ that _ and not the one who was  _ actually _ going to be recruited?”

“Listen, Wildcard’s the one I actually  _ saw _ . I only heard about the other one through the grapevine, kinda like Ryan when he was first hired.”

That must’ve made sense to the other two, because their questions stopped there, the silence it left the room in asking the biggest question of all: Now what?

“Gavin,” Jack began, “How much information can you get about these two?”

“I mean, depending on how much time I’m given, I could probably get loads. Why do you ask?”

“You got a plan, Jack?” Ryan asked, and Jack smiled as she nodded.

“Yeah. See if you can find any records of where they might be living. I think it’s high time we had staked out the new competition.”

\---

“I was wondering when you’d get back.”

Jack nearly dropped her car keys when Geoff’s voice rang out through the darkness of his room. She had only really meant to check in on him before leaving with the others to go scope out the scene, just to make sure he was still doing okay. She hadn’t expected him to be awake. It must’ve shown on her face, even in the room’s dim light, because Geoff let out a soft, strained chuckle.

“I don’t usually get the drop on you like that. You oughta step up your game, Jack.”

Jack knew the statement was made as a joke, but it still made the uncertainty in the back of her mind grow.

“Sorry,” She whispered, then, clearing her throat as she entered, she tried again, “Sorry. How’re you feeling?”

“Like I barely escaped an explosion. Don’t think I would’ve gotten out of at all if it hadn’t been for you and the others.”

“Why didn’t you just tell me where you were going?” Jack blurted out before she could stop herself, “You wouldn’t need so much treatment if I had gotten there sooner, which I  _ would’ve _ if I had been ready to go.”

Geoff stayed silent, just staring at Jack with concern and regret. Then, he sighed and shifted, an attempt to sit up that Jack gently put a stop to with a single hand to his chest.

“I don’t know, Jack…” Geoff said quietly, “It’s not because I don’t trust you, I do, with my life. It’s why I asked you to do this with me, and it’s why I called you first once I got into trouble. I just… When you start lying, it’s hard to stop, you know?”

“Yeah. I do, Geoff, but I also know that it’s possible.” Jack hadn’t meant to sound as bitter as she had, but she was so frustrated with the man in front of her, she couldn’t help it. As Geoff tried to say something else, Jack interrupted him, already knowing his question, “You’re not the only one with a troubled and murky past, Geoff. I thought you knew that.”

“I thought I did, too,” It was Geoff’s turn to sound bitter, though in Jack’s opinion, he didn’t have much of a right to be, “Apparently, I didn’t know enough.”

“Look,” Jack sighed, looking down at the floor before meeting Geoff’s eyes, “We’ll talk more later, okay? Just get some more rest, the boys and I will be back soon.”

“Where are you going?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Jack took too much joy from saying that to him, and she knew that, but it was a guilt she could stow away for later, “I’ll give you a call once we find something.”

Geoff looked like he wanted to say something, but closed his mouth. Probably a wise choice on his part. Jack turned, giving Geoff one last glance as she closed the door behind her.


	3. Chapter 3

“ _ I don’t know how the cops do it, _ ” Gavin’s voice muttered through the comms, “ _ This is so boring, I think I genuinely want to cry. _ ”

“Some cops aren’t hyperactive manchildren,” Ryan quipped, then, with a smile in his voice, he added “Of course, even if they aren’t, they usually just fake the evidence and hope for the best. Especially here in Los Santos.”

Jack sighed, rolling her eyes as she continued to watch the apartment complex from she and Ryan’s place in the parking lot across the street. She had to admit that Gavin had a point, and it was that point that made stakeouts one of Jack’s least favorite jobs, no matter how important they could be. If it weren’t for Gavin’s chattering and Ryan’s snark, she probably would’ve nodded off some time ago, but while their arguing was helping keep her awake, it was also driving her up the  _ fucking wall _ . She couldn’t even fathom how two people who were working together could  _ seriously _ argue so much, not even joke-fighting! Even the people she hadn’t enjoyed working with knew that they needed at least a professionally neutral relationship if they were going to get anything done, and so they stayed distant contacts, nothing more, nothing less.

It was  _ extremely _ evident that neither Gavin nor Ryan had ever learned that, and somebody had to rectify that,  _ fast _ .

“Hey Gav,” Jack said into the comms, interrupting the two men, “Can you do me a favor real quick, since you’re probably in a better position than Ryan or I to do so?”

“ _ Sure thing, Jack! What can Golden Boy provide for you? _ ”

“Call Geoff, check in on him for me, make sure he knows what meds he needs to take and when. They’re all next to his bedside, but I want to make sure he has it all right.”

“ _ Are you sure that’s a priority right now? _ ” Gavin asked, and even Ryan was looking at Jack strangely, but she just shrugged.

“I just thought about it. You’re serving backup, so you’re the safest to do it in case something happens.”

Jack heard Gavin sigh and mumble for a moment before the line was cut, leaving Ryan and Jack alone. She could have a discussion with Gavin later, seeing as talking with him was at least a bit easier than with Ryan, but at that moment, she at least needed to get Ryan to pretend to listen.

“Why kick you Golden Boy off the line?” Ryan asked, a bemused tone barely masking his wariness, “Got something private to discuss with me?”

“I do, actually,” Jack said evenly, as if she couldn’t feel the tensity in the air shift, “It’s about the two of you.”

“Oh for  _ fuck _ \-- What about us, huh Jack? You wanna know why I hate him so much, why I keep pushing his buttons?”

“From what I heard, you did more pushing than just his buttons.”

“He pissed me off, and I retaliated.”

‘ _ Like children on a playground… _ ’ Jack thought bitterly, but she knew if she said that, she’d lose Ryan faster than she already was.

“I get that,  _ believe me _ , I do, but… What’s your beef with each other, huh? Why can’t you two go ten minutes without being at each other’s throats?”

Silence filled the car for several moments, and Jack was worried she had overstepped, said the wrong thing, then she heard Ryan sigh through his mask. 

“I don’t like it when people hold all the cards,  _ especially _ when they threaten to use my own cards against me, even if they’re on my side. Gavin practically flaunts his hand any chance he gets, and he has the  _ audacity _ to be proud of it. Plus, he’s an annoying dick, and I hate him.”

Oh.  _ Oh _ . 

Suddenly, it made  _ way _ too much sense. Jack knew that Gavin only flaunted his hand because it was his only real defense against the world, the only thing he really had going for him most of the time, and his annoyance only came from his mouth working faster than his mind. Uncalculated conversation was, by no means, Gavin’s strong suit, especially if it was a  _ hostile _ one. But, of course, while Jack knew all that, Ryan  _ didn’t _ , and he likely wouldn’t ever know if he and Gavin didn’t start to at least tolerate each other.

“I know what you mean,” Jack began after finding her voice, “I remember, before I joined The Roosters, I had to deal with people flaunting the things they had that I never would  _ constantly _ . I know it’s not exactly the same with you, since I don’t know all that much about you, but… Ryan, Gav’s a good kid. A bit quick to talk out his ass, sure, and maybe a bit rowdy, but he’s a good kid. You just gotta give him the  _ chance _ to be, you can’t be so malicious towards him.”

“How about you tell  _ him _ to stop trying to start shit with me?”

“I will, but it’s easier to talk to you first right now, okay? This is an equal fault thing, Ryan. It takes two to tango and two to argue.”

Ryan huffed, and Jack was fairly sure he was pouting under his mask, but he didn’t say anything more on the subject for some time as they watched the complex, but then, almost out of nowhere, Ryan sighed.

“Fine. I’ll try not to rib him from here on out.”

“I never said you couldn’t rib him once in a while,” Jack said with a smirk, “I just said to not be so  _ malicious _ about it. Don’t make it  _ too _ personal, and figure out when to stop.”

Ryan glanced over at her, confusion in his eyes, but movement out of the corner of her eye pulled Jack’s attention back to the apartment complex. There, heading towards a rather nice, chrome-colored Adder were a couple who matched the descriptions and photos of Mogar and Wildcard. Instinctively, Jack reached a hand out and gripped Ryan’s arm in excitement, as if he were Geoff, but as soon as she felt the man tense, she realized her mistake and pulled her hand away, like she had burnt it. That was going to be filed under “never talk about again”.

“Gav, you patched back in?” Jack asked, re-establishing the communication line. There was a moment of silence before her earpiece crackled to life.

“ _ Am now. They on the move? _ ” 

“Yup. We’ll keep you updated on our location, try to keep close, okay?”

“ _ Gotcha. Be careful, Jack. And I guess you as well, Rybread. _ ”

“Yeah, tha-- Wait,  _ Rybread _ ?”

“Switching to comm silence, effective now.” Jack quickly rushed out before shutting down the line again, watching the Adder pull out of the parking lot and speed out onto the quiet, empty road. Jack started up her own car, doing her best to follow far enough to not be noticed, but close enough to not lose them. It was a fine line to straddle, one that she was good at, but still… She couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen.

\---

“Babe, I know I’m not one to critique your driving, but you keep taking random-ass turns that make no sense,” Wildcard said, “So either you’ve also finally noticed the assholes tailing us, or you’ve somehow become drunk without any alcohol.”

“It took me a while, I will admit,” Mogar muttered, “But I did notice them.”

“You got an idea?”

“Yeah,” Mogar said, a smile creeping along his face, “I do. Hold on.”

\---

“What the hell is this guy  _ doing _ ?” Ryan asked in disbelief as they watched the other car veer off-road into the desert in a maneuver that reminded Jack of what she had done when trying to outrun Ryan and the other Agency goons. Jack grit her teeth, gripping the steering wheel tighter.

“Hope you’re ready for a gunfight, Vagabond,” Jack growled out, “Because they know we’re tailing them and leading us into one.”

“How do you know--”

“Old tactic for getaway drivers. If people were able, you find a clear spot, hopefully away from prying eyes, and give it all you got.”

“ _ Seriously _ ? I thought the whole point of being a getaway driver was that you  _ got away _ .”

“If you kill the person tailing you, you’ve technically gotten away,” Jack pointed out, following the Adder off-road, “I mean, technically speaking.”

“What if they  _ don’t _ want to fight? What if they want to talk first?”

“Then we talk, but I’m telling you Rye, this kind of thing usually ends in a shootout,” Jack put the car into park, turning off the engine but leaving her headlights on, mirror the actions of the couple. “Figured you of all people oughta know that.”

“This isn’t my usual style of going into a shootout. Besides, I’m usually pretty good about not  _ having _ people on my tail.”

“Mhm, get out hotshot. Keep it holstered, but be ready.”

They both exited the car, joining the couple in the chilled night of the desert. Mogar stepped forward first, his posture defensive, but not quite aggressive yet. It was the kind of posture someone who had been tailed tended to have.

“I take it you’re Mogar,” Jack said, stepping forward as well, “And the lady with you is Wildcard?”

“Who the fuck wants to know?” Mogar asked, venom dripping from his words.

“I imagine you already know, considering what you did to my friend.”

“You mean Lazer? From The Roosters? I didn’t realize there were any others still here in Los Santos besides him.”

“You know,” Ryan drawled out from behind Jack, stepping forward to stand beside her, “It’s rather rude to lie to a lady.”

“Yeah? And it’s rude to follow a couple on their date night.”

“It’s  _ also _ rude to try and kill someone’s friend,” Jack interjected, “I’d argue it’s  _ more _ rude than following you two.”

“Oh, come  _ on _ , Mogar,” Wildcard said, practically vibrating from behind her husband, her hand hovering over where Jack imagined her gun was likely stowed, “We take care of these guys now, and we’re good as  _ done _ .”

“Not  _ yet _ . We gotta wait.”

“I’m  _ tired _ of waiting! We take care of them and the last two alive will probably still think we’re after The Roosters!”

“We’re not  _ part _ of The Roosters anymore,” Jack clarified, “We’re starting our  _ own _ crew.”

“Oh, we know. We just don’t care, we’re gonna make  _ so _ much money from killing you guys,” Wildcard said, earning a pained look from her husband, to which she defended herself with, “Oh, come  _ on _ ! We were gonna kill them anyways!”

“We were  _ going _ to wait for the other one,” Mogar grumbled, pulling out his gun, “But now we have no fucking choice.”

\---

Geoff was bored. Bored as  _ dicks _ . Bored as dicks and sick with worry, not to mention sore as all hell. 

Gavin had called him at Jack’s behest, just to check in on him and make sure he knew what meds he needed and when, despite the fact that there really weren’t that many aside from antibiotics and pain medication, before the kid had hung up rather suddenly, saying something about “movement” and “gotta go”. Jack hadn’t told him where they were going, or what they were doing, but he was starting to have an idea as time ticked on.

If this was how Jack felt when Geoff pulled this sort of thing, Geoff felt  _ more _ awful about it than before. He knew she was strong, but being able to deal with that sort of thing constantly took a special sort of individual, and Geoff was thankful as always to have her on his side. 

He frowned. He knew that he would have to step up his game if he wanted to keep it that way, but before he could think on that further, his phone rang again, this time displaying the contact name “Getaway”. He kept forgetting to change Jack’s contact name.

“Hey,” Geoff answered, “What’s--”

“Hey,” Ryan’s voice came over the phone’s speaker, “It’s Ryan.”

“ _ Ryan _ ? What happened to Jack?”

“She’s, well… I’ll explain later. We’re coming back to the penthouse, but you need to  _ not _ freak out.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake,  _ what happened _ ?”

“Gavin’s gone,” As soon as the words hit Geoff, he felt his stomach lurch. “Mogar and Wildcard took him.”

“What? How?!”

“They led us to an area, we talked, they started shooting. Jack got hit, Gavin came in, and then a lot of things happened and they managed to grab him.”

“ _ Shit _ ,” Geoff swore, “ _ Fuck _ ! How’d you let  _ that _ happen?!”

“Oh, I’m  _ sorry _ ! I was trying to keep Jack from getting  _ shot _ and get us out of there before the witnesses could call the cops--”

“There were  _ witnesses _ ?!”

“That is  _ not _ importan-- Okay, fine,  _ yes _ . Three guys, seemed both terrified and awed, didn’t really have time to deal with them because, like I said before,  _ we were getting shot at _ !”

Geoff let out a sigh, running his fingers through his hair. He had to shift into boss mode, become the leader and  _ not _ the sore, worried-sick friend.

“Alright. We’ll deal with it later. Get Jack back here so we can take care of the wound, and once she’s stable, we’ll work on getting Gavin back.”

“Gotcha,” Ryan said, then, after a pause, “What happens if we can’t?”

“Not an option. Rule number one: Never leave anyone behind.”

“Since when has that been a rule?”

“Since I just said it, now get your sorry asses back here.”

Geoff hung up after that, and, with another sigh, popped a few painkillers and forced himself to stand. He had work to do.

\---

After the call, the car ride was eerily silent, Ryan having taken over driving since he was less likely to further his injuries by doing so. Jack was staring out the window, her left hand limply gripping at her wounded shoulder, and Ryan couldn’t even hope to figure out what was going on inside her mind. He knew it wasn’t the first time she had let someone take Gavin, so he knew there was certainly  _ some _ kind of guilt, but Ryan didn’t know how much it really messed with her.

He wasn’t great at comfort, but it never hurt to try.

“Hey,” Ryan said quietly, his voice firm, “We’ll get him back. Don’t worry.”

Jack didn’t reply, and Ryan sighed. He didn’t understand what she and Geoff saw in Gavin, but he knew they cared. The least he could do was try to as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun drinking game for any readers over 21 (or whatever ur country's legal drinking age may be): take a shot every time someone in these FAHC fics has an idea and someone asks them about it


	4. Chapter 4

Despite it only being his second time, Gavin was already pretty damn tired of being kidnapped. 

The whole situation was humiliating and uncomfortable,  _ especially _ since his current kidnappers insisted on using  _ zip ties _ instead of rope or handcuffs, like a  _ normal _ hostage-takers. Well, maybe not  _ normal _ , a bit closer to  _ dumber _ , but the sentiment was that zipties fucking  _ sucked _ and were the  _ one _ thing Gavin could break himself out of. So, with no proper way to escape, he did the one thing he could do: He started talking.

“Hey!” He called out, his own voice resounding ever so slightly in the dark basement, “You tossers gonna come get me, or am I just gonna sit here until I die of boredom?”

A light was switched on, the sudden, harsh light of the fluorescents causing Gavin to flinch back and squint until his eyes properly adjusted. In front of him, predictably, was the couple that had captured him. Mogar was scowling while Wildcard was grinning like a kid in a candy store, a chaotic glint in her eyes. The two different but equally intense looks caused Gavin to squirm in his seat, his zip ties digging further into his skin, which really only cemented his hatred of the damn things. 

“Looks like the contractors weren’t kidding when they said you had a mouth on you…” Mogar grumbled, walking closer to Gavin just so he could pull him up slightly by the collar of his shirt and  _ growl _ , “It’s not gonna help you here, fuckhead, so you should probably keep it shut before I  _ force _ it shut.”

When would people learn that telling someone like Gavin to  _ shut up _ was only going to make him talk more? 

“Oh, but that wouldn’t be much fun,” Gavin retorted, “I mean, someone in this room’s got to try and keep the mood up, considering the circumstances.”

Mogar’s scowl deepened while Wildcard’s grin grew. The man released his grip on Gavin’s shirt, practically throwing the brit back into the chair.

“Listen man,” Wildcard said, also stepping up to “This dude right here? He’ll fuck you up, trust me I’ve seen it, I practically married him the moment I saw him do it the first time, but you wanna know something?”

“Sure, why not.” Gavin said, smirking. Good cop versus bad cop? That was  _ child’s play _ . Gavin could handle a bit of GCBC.

“Mogar may be able to fuck you up in all the normal ways, but I can do  _ much _ worse, so I really suggest you work with us a bit.” That caused Gavin’s smirk to be wiped  _ right _ off his face, his previous theory having been disproven. Apparently, that hadn’t been part of the plan, because Mogar sighed.

“Babe, you’re supposed to be  _ good cop _ .”

“I’m  _ always _ good cop! Maybe I wanna be bad cop now.”

“Li--  _ Wildcard _ …”

“Not my fault I got corrupted by such a handsome and strong bad cop.” Wildcard said with a wink, causing Mogar to give her a small smirk. The shameless flirting display made Gavin want to throw up, though he didn’t miss that almost slip-up of the name.

“If you’re gonna keep that up, just kill me now.” Gavin groaned, earning a glare from Mogar.

“Keep being like that and trust me,  _ I will _ , but before that, we need your help with something.”

“Oh  _ please _ ,” Gavin rolled his eyes, the realization that Mogar had  _ his _ golden sunglasses folded into the front of his shirt making Gavin a bit more irritable, and therefore  _ a lot _ more snarky. “Why would I help  _ you _ ?”

“Because I’ll beat the shit out of you if you don’t.”

“Pff, I’ve heard  _ that _ one before.”

“Listen here you  _ little shit _ ,” Mogar snarled, “Your buddies  _ abandoned _ you, so you better start telling us how to get past their security, because nobody’s gonna save you from this.”

“Yeah,” It was Gavin’s turn to snarl, the implication of being left behind by the closest thing he had to a family striking a nerve  _ deep _ within him. “ _ I don’t think so _ .”

Mogar simply glared at him for a while, not even breaking the heated eye-contact when he spoke to his wife.

“Wildcard, I’m gonna need you to stake out the others for a little while. Give me some  _ one-on-one _ time with Goldie here.”

“Aw, come  _ on _ Micha-- Shit, I mean, Mogar-- Stakeouts are fucking  _ boring _ ! I wanna beat the shit out a dude for information!”

“Nice save on the name,” Gavin interjected, “You two may as well just drop the codenames at this point.”

“Shut  _ up _ ,” Mogar growled, “Listen, if he hasn’t said shit by the time you get back,  _ then _ you can beat the shit out of him, okay?”

“Fine. Have fun, babe!” Wildcard said, giving Mogar a peck on the cheek. Gavin made an audible gagging noise, which very quickly earned him a smack on the cheek from the other man. Wildcard let out a bark of laughter before ascending the staircase, leaving Gavin alone with Mogar.

“They’re not coming, you know,” Mogar said, taking off his jacket to reveal his random assortment of tattoos, “It’s gonna make this easier on both of us if you just tell us what we want to know.”

“Oh, Mogar, dear Mogar,” Gavin said, his voice sickly sweet in his own ears, “ _ Go fuck yourself _ .”

“Oh, I’m going to  _ enjoy _ this.”

Gavin had the distinct feeling that he  _ wouldn’t _ , and he couldn’t help but hope those assholes back at the penthouse thought of something,  _ fast _ .

\---

“I can’t believe we let them take him,” Jack said, pacing around as Ryan and Geoff sat there, simply watching her, “This is the  _ second _ time he’s been taken from us! How the hell is he supposed to work with us if he can’t trust us to keep him safe?”

“Hey,” Geoff said quietly, “You and Ryan did all you could, but you got  _ shot _ . If you hadn’t left when you did, I would’ve lost you  _ and _ Gavin.”

“I only got  _ grazed _ , and we shouldn’t have lost  _ anyone _ , Geoff! We trust each other to keep us safe, and based on the evidence, Gavin doesn’t have much reason to trust us anymore!”

“Jack,” Ryan interjected, the first time he had spoken since their car ride together, “You fought tooth and nail to keep them from taking Gavin the first time, and you’ve gotten hurt  _ both  _ times. You would’ve walked through hell and back to save him, and you still would. Gavin may be an idiot, but I think he’s smart enough to know that you’re trustworthy.”

Jack didn’t have a response to that. Instead she sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. Her eyes stung, she was so  _ frustrated _ she wanted to  _ cry _ , a habit she thought she had trained herself out of a long time ago. You couldn’t do stuff like that, not in Los Santos, not if you wanted to be taken seriously. She had only  _ just _ been able to hold on to that spark of kindness, that ability to see the best in people, but she had to give up  _ so _ much, only for everything to go to shit and--

“Hey Ryan,” Geoff said, pulling Jack’s attention back to the present, “Could you do me a favor and do a quick sweep? Just to make sure we’re not being watched?”

“Yeah, sure. If I’m not back in about thirty minutes, give me a call. If I don’t answer, well, you know what probably happened.”

With that optimistic thought, Ryan left the living room, the distant sound of a door closing telling Jack he left the penthouse as well, which left her and Geoff alone together once more. She couldn’t help but steal a glance at Geoff, knowing that, although she couldn’t see them, there were bandages on his back, just under his shirt, and that she would need to put the salve on the burns and change those bandages soon.

“Hey,” Geoff started, standing up and making his way over to her to place a hand on her shoulder, “It’s not your fault, Jack.”

“ _ Don’t _ . I don’t want to be coddled right now, Geoff. I want to find those assholes and teach them a lesson.”

“I do too, Jack, but we can’t just… Go in like we did last time. We don’t know where they’re hiding, we don’t know what kind of security or defenses they have, and we don’t even know who they’re working for. We only stepped on The Agency’s toes because we’ve been doing that for  _ years _ , these guys…”

“I know,” Jack relented, her voice soft, “Just… I wish I could’ve done  _ something _ , you know? You and Gavin and, hell, even  _ Ryan _ , I’m supposed to be the  _ rock _ , the one person you can always count on, and this isn’t the first time I’ve let you down.”

“Gavin and I never blamed you for the first kidnapping,” Geoff said, sliding his hand from Jack’s shoulder so he could cross his arms, “If anything, Gavin blames  _ Ryan _ more--”

“Not  _ that _ , Geoff. I mean… Back during The Roosters.”

“ _ What _ ? What are  _ talking _ about, you never--”

“Pacific Standard,” Jack said flatly, “Second time around.”

Geoff must’ve forgotten about it, because he let out a soft noise. Geoff had been a heavy drinker, back in the early days, so it didn’t surprise her much, but Jack could never forget. It had been her first major heist with them, and she had been working as both lookout  _ and _ getaway driver. She hadn’t been a major part of the crew yet, so she hadn’t been payed  _ nearly _ as much as the others, and she had picked up an extra job as a bartender at some sleazy joint that worked her ragged to make ends meet.

She had promised them she would be okay to take both jobs, as if she wouldn’t be tired after working a double shift that had her staying well after closing, but they hadn’t  _ known _ about that. She hadn’t told them, because she wanted to be someone they could count on, someone they knew wanted to be serious about her job in the crew. She had fallen asleep during the getaway, long after she had managed to lose the cops, and Matt and Gus had been out of duty for three days. After that, Jack had been given the full job, despite her slip-up, and she worked hard to make sure she could be someone they could trust, no matter what it was they trusted her  _ with _ .

Trust was something that was very important to Jack, and she knew it was important to Geoff, too, despite his tendency to not give it easily.

“Jack…” Geoff started, “That wasn’t your fault.”

“I should’ve told you that I was too tired to work as the getaway, but I didn’t. It  _ was _ my fault.”

“It was  _ our _ fault for not noticing you were too tired to do that. Nobody’s  _ perfect _ Jack.”

Jack was silent for a moment, taking in what Geoff had said. She slowly sat down on the sofa, Geoff joining her as she did, and she finally bit the bullet.

“Why can’t you trust me?” Jack asked, “I know you said you did, and maybe you do, but… You’ve been doing this for  _ years _ , Geoff. We’ve been  _ friends  _ for years. Why can’t you learn to just…  _ trust _ me?”

“I…” Geoff sighed, looking out the window at the rest of Los Santos, “This city is… awful. It’s like a poison, it takes everything  _ good _ about you and forces you to either kill it or manipulate it into something else, you know?”

“Yeah,” Jack said quietly, “I do.”

“When I came here, I trusted  _ way _ too many people. I worked up in Zancudo, part of the army. I trusted the wrong people and got discharged. I kept trusting people I shouldn’t’ve, and I ended up living on Gus’ couch. Even when I learned to trust Gus and the others, I never could get myself to  _ fully _ trust them.”

“There’s always that part of you that Los Santos made,” Jack said, “The part you hate, but it’s what’s kept you alive this long, so you can’t shake it.”

“Yeah… What about you? What part of you is so Los Santos that you couldn’t go anywhere else and feel normal?”

“I’ve gotten pretty bloodthirsty over the years, though I mostly blame The Roosters for enabling that,” Jack smiled when Geoff let out an offended noise, but continued on. “I’ve also gotten pretty vengeful, a bit harder than I’d like to be. And I suppose I have a  _ bit  _ of an Atlas complex.”

“A bit? Jack, we literally just had a whole conversation about this.”

That brought a laugh to the surface, bubbling out of her before she could stop it. That brought a smile to Geoff’s face, and, without much ceremony, the two friends hugged each other. They would figure it out, they always did, but first things first…

“We gotta get Gavin back,” Geoff said, pulling back from the embrace, as if he had read Jack’s mind, “Once Ryan gets back, we’ll put our heads together and try to--”

The sound of a door slamming open and shut, soon followed up by an out-of-breath Vagabond all but sliding into the living area, his phone in his hand. Needless to say, Jack and Geoff had been startled, then confused, waiting for Ryan to catch his breath so he could explain what was going on.

“Check your phones,” Ryan gasped out, “ _ Now _ .”

The two of them did as they were told, and they had both somehow managed to miss a single message from Gavin. The glanced at each other, then at Ryan, then finally, Jack opened the message on her phone. It was a video, and from what Jack could see in the thumbnail, it was about Gavin. She took a steadying breath as Ryan stood behind the couch to lean over it and watch the video while Geoff gripped her arm slightly, and then, closing her eyes for only a second, she hit play.

In the video, Gavin struggled against his bonds, his face sporting some rather nasty bruises and even a few cuts, injuries that made the blood of all three crew members boil. 

“I’m alright, guys,” Gavin said, not noticing the figure of Mogar coming up from behind, “Don’t do anything these bastards sa--”

Gavin was cut off as Mogar placed a simple cloth gag into his mouth, tying it around the back to keep it secured. Then, with a flick and a flash of something silver, Mogar had a knife against Gavin’s throat. Geoff noticed Mogar had Gavin’s sunglasses on his forehead, and something inside him wanted to growl.

“Now that we’ve got your attention, I only have one thing to say to you slippery assholes: Give yourselves up, or Golden Boy here gets it.”

Gavin’s eyes went wide with fear, and, despite his distaste for Gavin, Ryan couldn’t help but scowl. He knew these tactics: Either they’d do as he said and get killed, or they wouldn’t, and Gavin would assume they really  **had** left him behind and tell Mogar anything he wanted to know. Jack felt Geoff’s hand squeeze around her arm, and Jack placed a hand on top of it in solidarity. Suddenly, there was a hand on either of their shoulders, owned by none other than the Vagabond himself.

“You have three hours. Don’t keep us waiting.” Mogar said, right up and personal with the camera, and with that, the video ended. The three of them sat in silence for a moment, before Ryan broke the silence.

“He texted the coordinates for the meetup with the video. We have three hours to make a plan.”

“What’re we going to do?” Jack asked.

“Hell if I know…” Geoff muttered, “Jesus, is this how those rich assholes felt every time we ransomed their kids?”

“Unlike those rich assholes,” Ryan said, standing up straight, “We know what kind of game they’re playing. Thing is, they don’t know what game  _ we’re _ going to play.”

“You got an idea?” Geoff asked, and Ryan gave them a wicked grin.

“Gentleman and Gentlewoman, I’m  _ full _ of ideas. Especially when the perfect opportunity just happens to fall into my lap,” Ryan announced, and after being met with a pair of confused but intrigued looks, Ryan made a gesture for them to follow him. “Come on, let’s go meet our bargaining chip.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, a bit of backstory about Jack: she originally came to Los Santos just to find some extra work. She ended up working as a freelance getaway driver (hence the codename Getaway), but it was so infrequent that she had to get a job on the side. she met The Roosters there, and they started giving her much steadier work. after the incident mentioned in the chapter, she was hired as their primary getaway driver, and she quit her other job. she and geoff ended up working together a lot, became close friends, and, well. y'all know the rest.


	5. Chapter 5

“It’s not really good manners to lie, you know.”

Gavin knew he wasn’t in any position to be snarky, considering the circumstances, but he _so_ loved it when he got the chance to flaunt his knowledge that he shouldn’t have. Michael didn’t turn around, still fiddling with various things for explosives and cleaning various weapons.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, now shut up.”

“Oh come off it! If you wanted me to be quiet, you woulda left the gag on! And you know _exactly_ what I’m talking about, boi. You’re not gonna kill me.”

“You don’t know that, now shut up before I put the gag back on you. And don’t call me _boi_ , you’re my hostage, it’s weird.”

“If you _really_ wanted to hurt me, you would’ve given me a proper beating. I’ve gotten worse from _schoolyard bullies_ , Michael--”

“How the _fuck_ did you--”

“Oh come one, I may be an idiot, but I’m not _stupid_. That’s what Wildcard was startin’ to say before she cut herself off. Gotta say, you’re a lot better at that then she is.”

“Whatever,” Michael said, turning back to his table of stuff, “It doesn’t matter. Once your friends are here, you’re all dead, and then Wildcard and I are finally _safe_.”

“Safe?” Gavin asked, cocking an eyebrow up, “Safe from _what_?”

\---

Half the people who came to Los Santos were genuinely good people who came for genuinely good reasons, only for the city to beat them down until they’re unrecognizable, even warping those who managed to hold onto their old ideals. The other half were people like Michael. 

Michael came to Los Santos because he was on the run from trouble he had created for himself. He had grown up in Alderney City, which should’ve been his parents’ first clue of the things to come. But warning signs went unheeded, and soon Michael had run away to Liberty City at the ripe age of seventeen, before running away to Los Santos after several jobs gained him too much attention from all the wrong places. He met his wife, who loved to cause trouble just as much as he did, if not a bit more, and made a name for himself.

During all the turmoil, Michael found that the most _important_ thing was keeping him and the things he loved _safe_. It was very hard to do that when you lived a life like he and Lindsay did, especially in a city like Los Santos, so when someone offered a way to keep everything he cared about safe and threatened to hurt them if he refused, well, he would’ve been an idiot to refuse. He didn’t know who they were, or how they knew about him, but he couldn’t risk it being real. He learned that the hard way one too many times.

“It doesn’t matter,” Michael finally said, “Not for you, at least.”

“I mean, I’d like to know who’s hired you to kill my friends and I.”

Michael huffed, rolling his eyes. Golden Boy was getting on his _nerves_ , and he had no idea how the brit had managed to stay alive for as long as he had. Well, more than likely, he relied on his crew to protect him, and without them, he was panicking.

“You know,” Golden Boy began, and Michael could _hear_ the smile on his face, “I don’t think we’re all that different.”

“I’m _nothing_ like you,” Michael snapped, “You don’t know _anything_ about me.”

“You seem like the kind of guy who likes to cause a ruckus, or really just any sort of trouble. You also seem like the kind of guy who cares about the people around him, as dangerous as it is. I’d even go as far as to guess that you used to be on the run a lot, but now you feel stuck. Feel free to tell me I’m wrong, though.”

Michael spun around, staring at the smirking hostage with wide eyes. His reaction had more-or-less just been confirmation, he knew, but he couldn’t help it. Golden Boy Had caught him off-guard.

“You don’t have to do this, you know,” Golden Boy said, and that manipulative edge to his voice was gone, replaced by almost boyish earnest, “I mean, c’mon! How much are they paying you?”

“More than what you could offer,” Michael snorted, “So don’t even try that angle.”

“I was always piss-poor at diplomacy.”

“No shit, Sherlock. Diplomacy requires that people actually _tolerate_ you.”

“You tolerate me.”

“Wh-- You’re my fuckin’ hostage! I literally _have_ to fuckin’ tolerate you!”

“Oh, come _on_! You’re telling me that, if you didn’t have to kill me, you wouldn’t wanna be friends with me?”

“That’s _exactly_ what I’m saying.”

Golden Boy looked genuinely hurt at the sentiment, but Michael only rolled his eyes and moved to continue his work. But, predictably, Goldie didn’t shut the _fuck_ up.

“I think I’d be friends with you,” He said, causing Michael to throw a glance back at him, “You seem like you’d be pretty cool once you’re not tryin’ to kill me.”

“Yeah, whatever…”

Before Golden Boy could say anything more, thank _fuck_ , Michael got a text from Lindsay.

_On the move, meet up @ spot, bring GB_

“Welp, looks like your friends didn’t leave you behind,” Michael said, unable to hide his mild but pleasant surprise, “C’mon. It’s time to end this.”


	6. Chapter 6

As they pulled up to the mostly empty stretch of desert, Gavin couldn’t help but grin the moment he spotted Geoff’s hot pink car. It meant he was okay enough to actually  _ be _ there, and, knowing how Jack and Geoff were, it likely meant he had a plan. Gavin  _ really _ hoped they had a plan.

“Stay here, and don’t try anything.” Michael said as he put the car into park before exiting the vehicle. 

Because of the distance, as well as the fact that he was in a car, Gavin couldn’t hear what was being said, which was annoying as hell, but Geoff must’ve said something  _ hilarious _ , because Michael threw his head back in what Gavin assumed was laughter. It wasn’t funny to the three older people though, as Ryan took a menacing step forward before being held back by Jack. Michael didn’t even  _ flinch _ , which was pretty impressive considering how most reacted to just  _ seeing _ The Vagabond. 

Honestly, while Gavin wasn’t at all surprised to see that Geoff and Jack had come to his rescue, the fact that Ryan was there threw him through a loop. He had been fairly sure Ryan hated him, Gavin had given him more than enough reason to, and was positive that the mercenary would’ve jumped ship the moment Gavin forced them to put their own skin on the line. Gavin knew Ryan’s history, knew that The Roosters had been his longest gig  _ ever _ aside from The Agency, but he had a history of jumping ship. The Roosters had been the exception, because they had been top dog, but their dinky little crew? The crew that didn’t even have a  _ name _ yet? Their crew with someone that Ryan likely  _ loathed _ ? Gavin couldn’t figure out why The Vagabond hadn’t backed down yet, jumped ship and joined some other up-and-coming crew in the city.

It was almost touching, in a way, and Gavin was going to have to hound Ryan about it another time. If they made it out of this situation, at least.

Gavin’s thoughts were interrupted by Michael unceremoniously throwing open the car door and practically  _ dragging _ Gavin out into the harsh heat and light of the desert afternoon. He was brought up to be presented to the others, and seeing the concern and resolve in his crewmate’s eyes made Gavin’s inside feel all warm and fuzzy for a moment before he remembered he was being shown as a  _ hostage _ . 

“I’ve kept up my end of the deal,” Michael said, “Now, what do you have to show me that could  _ possibly _ be worth more than the original agreement.”

Despite the skull mask blocking his view of Ryan’s face, Gavin could tell that he was  _ smiling _ . His blue eyes shone with malicious glee for just a moment before going to the hot pink vehicle behind them. He threw open the door to the backseat, pulling out--

“Lindsay!” Michael cried out, then, with a snarl, “You sons of--”

“We didn’t want to have to make this personal,” Jack cut Michael off, “But you gave us no choice.”

“Let me  _ go _ , you fuckin’ assholes!” Lindsay shouted, struggling against Ryan’s grip, “Michael, don’t give them  _ anything _ .”

“All we want is the kid back,” Geoff said evenly, “After that, you leave us alone, and we never have to think of this again.”

“Fuck you,” Michael growled, but his eyes only shone with concern, “God  _ dammit _ .”

There were a tense few moments where the two sides stared each other down, moments that seemed to stretch into eternity as Gavin’s heart pounded. Then, finally, with an annoyed sigh, Michael shoved Gavin’s sunglasses into his still-bound hands before Gavin forward, causing him to nearly trip before Geoff and Jack caught him, pulling him towards them. In the next second, Lindsay was shoved towards Michael, who had to forcibly pull her away from trying to lash out at them. 

Geoff cut the zip ties holding Gavin, quickly guiding him towards the car. Gavin  _ hurt _ , and it was finally starting to really hit him, but that didn’t stop him from glancing back at the couple, Michael staring at him with some mixture of emotions that Gavin couldn’t quite make out, but if Gavin knew anything, he knew that some part of it was  _ fear _ .

That didn’t sit well with him.

\---

“I would’ve been  _ fine _ , Michael,” Lindsay finally said as they watched the pink car pull away, “They weren’t going to hurt me.”

“I know,” Michael said, earning a confused look from his wife, “I couldn’t just let them keep you  _ hostage _ , though.”

“Well now what? Our contractor--”

“We’ll deal with that later. For now, I just wanna go home.”

Lindsay looked at Michael, and he was almost positive he could see the gears turning in her mind. Michael honestly wasn’t sure  _ why _ he had given up. Yeah, he cared about Lindsay, she was his  _ wife _ for fucks sake, but why did he trade their potential for  _ lifelong _ safety for what would be a short-lived moment of happiness? 

“What did Golden Boy  _ say _ to you?” Lindsay finally asked, “Seriously, you’d think he revealed the secrets of the universe to you.”

_ You know, I don’t think we’re all that different. _

“Nothing,” Michael muttered, “C’mon, we can play some Mario Kart while we wait for The Agency to come punish us.”

\---

“You look like you got attacked by a  _ bear _ ,” Ryan said after Gavin flinched when their car hit a particularly nasty pothole, “You  _ sure _ you don’t need us to go back and get a bit of vengeance.”

“Aw, Ryan! You  _ do _ care!” Gavin said happily, earning an eye roll from the older man, “I’ll be okay till we get back. ‘S just some bruising.”

“And cuts.”

“Yeah, but they’re not anything that’s gonna need stitches. I’m  _ fine _ , lovely Ryan.”

“Yeah, right, okay,” Ryan turned his attention away from Gavin to the two people in the front seats, “Gavin may have some head trauma, he’s acting weird.”

“Hey!”

“Nah, that’s just Gavin when he’s not being a prick.” Geoff said with a smirk.

“ _ Hey _ !” Gavin squawked again, causing the three older crew members to laugh, “You know, older people are meant to be a bit more than  _ utter bastards _ . They’re supposed to be gentlemen!”

“Gavin. You’ve known us for  _ how _ long?”

“Point taken, but still! Wait… That’s it!”

“What’s it?” Jack asked, using the rear-view mirror to glance at Gavin, who seemed much happier now that he had his sunglasses on.

“You three! Your team name is Team Gents!”

“Team Gents…” Geoff muttered, rubbing his chin, “I like it.”

“Seconded.” Jack agreed, placing her focus back onto the road.

“Third-ed.” Ryan said, earning a snort from Gavin.

“Third-ed? Really?”

“Why did we rescue you again?”

“Alright,” Geoff cut in, “So the plan to save Gavin worked. We’re back up to four members, and now we need to find more. Jack, you said you’re gonna handle that?”

“Yup,” Jack confirmed, smiling, “I’ve got an idea of a spot I can scope out, see if anyone catches my eye.”

“Sounds  _ great _ . Ryan, you have contacts willing to help us out? Maybe someone from The Agency who may be willing to switch sides?”

“Most of my contacts don’t do long-term, and The Agency wasn’t really a place you made friends in,” Ryan began thoughtfully, “Though, there  _ was _ this one guy… But I haven’t been in touch with him for  _ years _ .”

“Well, if you think of anyone, feel free to let us know.”

“I think I’ve got an idea,” Gavin said, then sheepishly added, “Though, you’re  _ probably _ going to hate it.”

“Gav, we’re willing to take whatever we can get,” Geoff affirmed, though Gavin still looked rather awkward, “What’s your idea, bud?”

“Well… He’s a demolition expert, and he’s in a bit of trouble. He may be willing to help, if we say the right things.”

“Gavin…” Ryan said, staring at the brit in disbelief, “You have got to be  _ kidding  _ me.”


	7. Chapter 7

Michael figured that, if they were going to go down, they’d do it while having the time of their lives.

A few days after the incident, a job had come in the form of a map and a wad of money, saying that it was all theirs, they only had to blow up one old warehouse that used to belong to The Roosters. After all they’d been through, Michael and Lindsay were  _ more _ than happy to oblige, with or without having been paid in advance. Was it a trap? Probably, but at least they could go down swinging if it was. 

When they pulled up and saw The Vagabond, Goldenboy, and Lazer, Michael almost just drove away again, but then he noticed that Golden Boy was  _ waving _ at him, as if they were  _ friends _ , and that pissed Michael off enough to have him get out of the car just so that he could yell at them.

“Mr. and Mrs. Jones,” Lazer said, causing any angry comment Michael or his wife had to be doused by a flash of fear, “We’re glad you came.”

“Don’t worry, Michael boi!” Golden Boy said, though he pronounced Michael as “micool”, “We just wanna talk.”

“Right,” Michael snorted, “‘Cause last time you just wanted to talk, Lindsay was a hostage.”

“Yeah…” Lazer said, rubbing the back of his neck before straightening his suit jacket out, “We’re still sorry about that. Desperate times, you know?”

“What do you want?”

“We wanna offer you two a job with us. Permanently.”

Michael’s mouth hung open, confusion and disbelief leaving him completely speechless for several moments.

“No fucking way…” Michael muttered, “Why the  _ fuck _ do you wanna hire  _ us _ ?”

“To be fair, it was Gavin’s idea,” Lazer said, pointing to Golden Boy, “But his logic’s pretty sound.”

“What logic?”

“Well,” Golden Boy--  _ Gavin  _ began, “For starters, you obviously know your way in a fight and around explosives, which is something we  _ really _ need in our crew right now. Plus, you two are pretty much fucked if you  _ don’t _ , and it’s honestly a waste to let talent like the two of yours to die like that.”

“We kidnapped you, beat the  _ shit _ out of you,  _ and _ tried to kill your boss.”

“Yeah, well, so did Ryan,” Gavin jabbed a thumb towards The Vagabond, “But we let him stay around, especially now that he’s finally learned some manners.”

The Vagabond turned and glared at the brit, who ignored the look. Before Michael could even think about how he was going to tell them to fuck off, Lindsay stepped forward, looking at the three men before nodding.

“Alright, I’m in.”

“You’re  _ what _ ?!” Michael demanded, “Lindsay, they  _ literally _ kidnapped you!”

“Yeah, but they seem like fun! Plus, it was in retaliation after we took one of theirs. I admire that sort of dedicated revenge.”

“Fuckin’...” Michael muttered, “ _ Fine _ . We’ll join your crew, but the  _ second _ it goes south, we’re out of there, got it?”

“Of course,” Geoff said, though it was obvious he didn’t take the statement seriously, “Welcome to the family, kiddos.” 

\---

“So, Lindsay went out and left you to do this yourself?” Gavin asked from the doorway of Michael’s new room, where the demolitions expert was unpacking his various things, “Why’s that?”

“I dunno,” Michael said, tolerating Gavin’s existence for the moment, “Lindsay kinda just does what she wants, it’s why she’s called Wildcard. It’s  _ also _ why I married her. I told her to fuck off and she just kept wearing me down till I finally realized I actually liked her.”

“Aww, that’s sorta like you and me, boi!”

“Fuck off, Gavin,” Michael said, but there was no real heat behind it, “Speaking of ladies, where’s the redhead been? I haven’t seen her since the incident.”

“Jack?” Gavin asked, “Oh, she’s been around town on a recruitment drive. I wonder how it’s goin’...”

\---

Jack had worked in a bar for a while, back in the day, and she knew it was always the best place to pick up unsavory characters of various skills. Especially ones that had other stuff going on the side, like the one she was in right at that moment.

There were dozens of underground fighting rings all over Los Santos, but the one she was watching was always a favorite of hers. It hosted mostly young but skilled fighters, the kind of people that had the abilities to pay the bills, but never really had steady enough work to be able turn down a proper job offer. It was the perfect place for small crews to pick up muscle, but Jack wasn’t just looking for any old muscle.

No, Jack was looking for the man who called himself “Rimmy Tim”. 

Rimmy was the ring’s champion, undefeated and, reportedly under-appreciated by all but his manager, “Zed”, and the ring’s bookie, “Axial”. Axial was quick to pick out, with his shaggy hair and beard, headphones around his neck, red jacket getting smudged with chalk dust as he wrote the various odds on the chalkboard behind the bookkeeping booth. Zed had been a bit harder at first, but the moment that Rimmy Tim, clad in his iconic purple, orange, and yellow, came out onto the stage being followed by a man that was a bit  _ too _ well-dressed for a place like that, well, Jack figured she had her men. 

The second she saw Zed’s face, Rimmy’s bald head, and Axial’s red jacket in quick succession, she realized she recognized them. All three of them.

They had been the witnesses during their shootout with the Jonses, when they had first taken Gavin. She wondered if they would recognize her, but that didn’t matter at that moment. What mattered was watching the fight, the way Rimmy almost effortlessly dodged and weaved out of the way of his opponent, using his short height as an advantage to get quick but heavy hits in. It was  _ amazing _ work, and, frankly, Jack couldn’t help but be impressed. 

Her gaze, however, was caught by Axial and Zed out of the corner of her eye. They were interacting with a young couple,  _ obviously _ tourists, showing off a bunch of parlor tricks to try and wow them. Then, she noticed what they were  _ really _ doing. Careful hands slide in and out of the couple’s pockets, one hand even managed to steal a watch away before ending the trick and bidding the couple goodbye, the pair none the wiser as to the fact that they had just been robbed blind. 

The bell sounded, signalling the fight having ended, and, predictably, Rimmy Tim stood victorious. Axial seemed almost  _ bored _ taking and distributing money around while Zed and Rimmy stood off to the side, Rimmy having changed into something more casual as they talked. Jack smiled, and stood up, making her way over to them, more than ready to make an offer she  _ knew _ they couldn’t refuse.


	8. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'd like to apologize anyone who was subbed to me or this story, because i TOTALLY just spammed y'all with updates

_ Two Weeks Later _

“You bought the entire  _ floor _ ?” Jack asked in disbelief, “I know we’ve got some cash to spare, but  _ the entire floor _ ?”

“It’s a bit overkill, if I’m honest.” Gavin agreed, and Geoff scoffed.

“Oh, come  _ on _ ! We only have six rooms in  _ this _ penthouse to sleep in, and less than that for storage! We use the others here on this floor to house anybody who doesn’t fit, use the rest as extra storage! I’m thinking of an armory, a gym, maybe a little room for tech and stuff that we can’t fit up here…”

“Okay, that sounds  _ great _ and all, but we need to focus on actually  _ building _ the crew more! We still don’t have a proper sniper--”

“Hey, Zed said he’s a decent sniper!”

“ _ Geoff _ …”

“Fine, fine. A bit late to berate me, but I’ll try to be more careful with future purchases, alright?”

“What’s all the yelling about?” Ryan asked as he entered the penthouse, counting up the wad of cash in his hand, “I could hear you from outside the door.”

“Geoff made a bad purchase,” Michael said, “Jack’s yelling at him. The usual.”

“Ah, makes sense,” Ryan tossed the money to Gavin, who yelped and juggled it for a moment before getting a good grip, then moved to grab a diet coke from the fridge, “When are the new guys coming around, anyways?” 

“Lindsay’s already showing Zed and Axial their rooms from the floor Geoff bought,” Gavin said, “Rimmy said he’d be coming around soon.”

“Okay, it’s been  _ two _ weeks. They’re  _ still _ not revealing real names?”

“You don’t even take your facepaint off around us! Besides, would  _ you _ have revealed your name after two weeks if I hadn’t already known it?”

Ryan flipped Gavin off while taking a sip from his diet coke, earning a middle finger in return for the gesture. It was at that moment that Ryan heard the door open and close. Ryan still had his back turned to it, too enveloped in drinking his diet coke to notice the short man entering the room until he heard a heavy bag be dropped on the ground. Ryan whipped around and very nearly dropped his can of soda.

“ _ Jeremy _ ?” Ryan asked, his eyes wide with disbelief.

“Ryan…” Jeremy muttered, “Holy fucking shit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ooOOooo, finally got this fucker done! now, we won't QUITE be getting our crew a sniper yet, because something's, well. something's gonna happen, but thanks for reading, and i hope you enjoyed it!

**Author's Note:**

> check me out on Tumblr!
> 
> fandom-trash224.tumblr.com


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